While I seem more than willing to shop for things for the house,  I am not crazy about clothes shopping for me.  However,  with the encouragement and company  of Zahava, I decided to meet the challenge of the day – finding a pair of boots.  It is clearly boot time here – whether for fashion or warmth.   Amazingly, I found the perfect boots on our second stop.  I decided to wear them out of the store and had them on my feet until past 11:00 PM.  No blisters, not pain –they really were perfect.  On to the Corte Ingles to find some tights.  What a selection.  We both finally made our choices and paid for our purchases.  At the Corte Ingles they generally give you an extra “receipt” with your purchase that entitles you to a discounted price in their cafeteria for the selected items of the day. I had always passed that up,  a mistake I will not make again.   Zahava and I went up to the top floor where there is not only a counter service area, a casual dining restaurant, a self-serve but also a fine dining restaurant and a child-care center.  They certainly have all the bases covered.  We sat at the counter and for 1 € apiece, Zahava and I had a caña (short beer) and 2 croquetas.  Just perfect for a little break.

Cañas y croquetas

We’d been at it for 2 ½ hours so I walked back to Zahava’s place, said my good-bye and called Marty to see if he’d like to meet me at Refugio.  He agreed and we caught up at La Plaza de Tossal.  We chose the menu of the day.  The salad held a bit of a surprise.  In the center there were chopped pistachio nuts, hazel nuts and walnuts.  Yummy!  We’d ordered tuna which  was served with soba noodles and a sauce with quite a zing to it.  Homemade vanilla and walnut ice cream and a very intense brownie were dessert choices.  We ordered one of each and shared – of course.  As we planned to go to a guitar concert in the evening we decided to go home and rest for a while.

Salad with a nutty surprise inside

Tuna with a Chipotle Sauce

We Shared

At 6:45 we were back on the street and heading to the Instituto Luis Vives where the concert was to be held.  On the way we noticed that the Christmas decorations were up at the Mercado Central and along the main streets.

The artist of the evening, Esteban Espinoza,  was a  very talented and award-winning young man from Chile.  His selections were varied, but mostly quite modern and from Latin America.  He played a Ginastera piece that was absolutely amazing.  Sitting in the front row gave us the opportunity to watch his finger work, which was incredible.

To end our day, we decided to stop by Ginger Loft for a drink, but stayed to chat with Mike and Santi and have a nibble as well.

Another Fabulous Santi Cocktail

Quesadillas